


Aftercare

by Noid



Category: Dead by Daylight (Video Game)
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Max deserves the world, PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-29
Updated: 2018-06-29
Packaged: 2019-05-30 05:51:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15090362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noid/pseuds/Noid





	Aftercare

Watching Claudette pray at the pew of the church was strangely entrancing. For once, as he stood still with Insidious covering his excited heartbeat, she looked absolutely peaceful. She sat on her knees, with her fingers gently clasped together in front of her soft mouth, eyes closed in blissful concentration of religious safety. Her small ankles were very delicately crossed over one another as she sat still, only breathing. 

After a long while of silence, save for the slightest chime of the wind, Max slowly walked up to her with his usual limp, hoping to retain his Insidious so she wouldn't run from him. However, that was not how Insidious work at all as his heartbeat was audible once again and he knew as she looked around immediately, her eyes snapping open fast and filled with automatic horror.

Her eyes met his and they both froze.

Max had no idea what to do for a long moment. Trying to not scare her, he lowered his crooked body to the linoleum flooring, dropping his chainsaw and the sledgehammer first. Partway, he had trouble clearly keeping still as his body ached already, disliking the position of being on his knees. He had to do it, though. He wanted to know more about people that didn't live on the farm, that didn't live in small places and surrounded by cornfields. 

Max just wanted to know what it was like in places he could never go to.

He looked up at her, watching her fingers. They were softly quivering and he immediately began to worry. Steadily, though shaking in pain, he attempted to follow the way she was positioned by clasping his hands together and shakily bringing his dirty fingers up to his mouth. He looked away, trying to hold still so she wouldn't leave him alone but only after a few seconds, he looked back at her again, Insidious muting his hammering heartbeat.

Claudette's bandaged hands were now in her lap and she was eyeing him in surprise. Max immediately noticed her eyes drop to his weapons and he followed her gaze. Wondering if the presence of the weapons were giving her a scare, he moved to push away the blood-stained sledgehammer across the dirty floor. He fell partway through as his body was already too tired and in pain to stay in the kneeling position. 

Finally, in too much pain to keep still in this position, he grunted and extended his legs. He made a noise of pain and clutched onto his knees, hoping to stop his hands from shaking. 

It hurt, it hurt so much. But nothing would hurt him more if she left him now.

Afraid he was getting his hopes up, he softly choked up a cry of loneliness and buried his deformed face in his hands. Familiar, hot water dripped from his eyes and onto his hands as he tried to hide his ugly face, wondering if it was best if he hid away forever. It wasn't like he ever mattered when he was born, so why would he now?

"Um..." He looked up to the noise, whimpering softly. She was kneeling closer to him, holding out a handkerchief. "Do you...do you want to pray with me?"

Pray? Was that what she was doing? He remembered Ma talking about that when he was younger, how she prayed her child would disappear one day or would die in his sleep. 

Looking unsure, he pointed to himself with a quivering finger, as if asking if she was sure she was talking to the right person. Unbeknownst to him, she mirrored the same expression he had on his face, though he never knew. It was always hard to decipher when mirrors weren't your friend.

"Y...Yes. Is...that what you were trying to do?" As he planned to think of what to possibly even gesture, she brought the handkerchief up to his face, patting the soft cloth against his cheeks. All responses left his head as he stiffened, expecting to be swat at with the white item. Instead, he received the softest touch he had ever known. It was warm, so gentle... 

Tears spilled over again as he tried to remember what she said. His hands painstakingly slowly came up to her hand and he watched her expression. Claudette didn't move, allowing him to support her hand softly against his face. 

Without warning, he pulled away to throw his head back, wailing as loud as he could through a voice he was never able to speak with. HIs body trembled as he heaved for breaths, remembering the times when his Ma smiled at the working TV and remembering when Pa would laugh joyfully at the newspaper. All Max wanted was to receive those smiles, those laughs and be a part of the family he once had that tended to the cattle and the sows. 

Through the mist of his tears and his broken sobs, he heard her again, shushing him sweetly.

"Shh, shh..." He looked down at her and she wiped at his face still. "It's okay. You can stay with me, okay? I... I don't know what you've been through but... it's hard for me, too."

He hiccuped as he looked at her, his eyes closing slightly in bliss as she sweetly pampered him. Only once did she smile, but whatever heart he had left soared. 

For the first time since his birth, he felt happy and a crooked smile fell on the face of the crooked farmboy.


End file.
